Missing python at Fort Lewis College found Monday

Snake that escaped cage found behind a pipe

Mojave, a ball python, escaped its cage on Friday at a Fort Lewis College classroom. He was found Monday behind a pipe.

Courtesy of Mitch Davis

A python that escaped its cage Friday was found on Monday behind a pipe in a room in Fort Lewis College’s Berndt Hall.

Durango Herald file

Ending an episode that those with a snake phobia would consider their worst nightmare, a python that escaped its cage in a basement room at Fort Lewis College was found on Monday.

According to campus spokesman Mitch Davis, the 18-inch python was found behind a pipe in the animal room in Berndt Hall, “no worse for the wear.”

The python, whose name is Mojave, was discovered missing on Friday. Davis said the snake was considered docile and was regularly handled by students and children.

“It’s a ball python, a smaller and more shy snake compared to the massive Burmese pythons that most people think of,” said Davis. “It’s also non-venomous.”

The four-day saga is nowhere near as unsettling as the case in Ozark, Missouri, where a 20-foot Burmese python has been on the on the loose since Friday, causing neighborhood children to stay inside, according to a KSPR 33 News report.